Fried promises to 'empty the tank' in Yanks postseason debut

NEW YORK -- Max Fried was 9 years old and nearly three thousand miles away on the evening of Oct. 16, 2003, when Aaron Boone sent a knuckleball into the left-field seats at the original Yankee Stadium, etching his name into Yankees history with a pennant-winning home run.

Watching on television from his California home, Fried couldn’t have imagined that evening he would someday be part of baseball’s most storied rivalry -- but, as he said on the eve of his Game 1 start in the American League Wild Card Series, “I’m really glad I am now.”

Having set career highs in wins (19), starts (32) and innings pitched (195 1/3) during his first season with the Yankees, the 31-year-old Fried said he intends to leave it all on the field Tuesday, having reached the stage of the campaign where tomorrows can no longer be counted upon.

“There's no guarantee that I'm going to have another start, so from here on out, this could be the last one,” Fried said. “So we're going to kind of empty the tank and leave everything that we have out there.”

Fried understands the responsibility of pitching in the postseason, having appeared in 20 such games (12 starts) for the Braves beginning in 2018.

Though his results have been mixed (2-5, 5.10 ERA), Fried has proven that he can deliver when it counts the most: his six scoreless innings in Game 6 of the 2021 World Series helped seal an Atlanta championship.

“I think any experience, you can use to your advantage,” Fried said. “It's all about how you learn from it and how you're able to use that experience to go forward. I'll obviously be leaning on that, but this is its own game: New thing, new season, new circumstances.”

Fried said the ring that clincher produced was “a dream come true,” but he never wears it, which isn’t surprising. Flashiness isn’t in his nature; he’s driven more by the mission of getting to the top of the mountain.

“He's been a great pitcher in this league now for a while,” Boone said. “That being said, you're one of the big free agents out there, you come to New York, that can be a challenging and daunting thing. He's handled it so well, so seamlessly.

"Forget the pitcher for a minute -- just his makeup, the person, the teammate he is. It has been more than I could have ever imagined, honestly.”

Given Fried’s fanatical preparation routine, it’s unlikely he’ll carve out time to review video of Boone’s 2003 home run, the one he first viewed on the bulky box televisions of that era. There’s no need. It’s already seared into his memory bank, a reminder that legends are crafted in October, especially in the Bronx.

“I'm expecting it to be electric,” Fried said. “The fans have been amazing all year, and I expect nothing else.”

Lineup decisions

Austin Wells will start behind the plate and Paul Goldschmidt will “probably” start at first base in Tuesday’s Game 1, Boone said.

Boone said it was not a close call between Wells and Ben Rice, even though Rice caught Fried’s final outing of the regular season on Sept. 24. It was the first time Fried and Rice were paired in a game.

• Rice taking hot bat into a rivalry showdown he's waited for his whole life

“I think Wells is really good back there, and he's been really good with Fried,” Boone said. “Just because Rice isn't in there doesn't mean he doesn't impact the game in a big way.”

Goldschmidt has crushed lefties all season (.981 OPS), but he has struggled in his career against Garrett Crochet, Boston’s Game 1 starter. In 15 at-bats, Goldschmidt has managed just two hits, with five strikeouts.

“He’s a great pitcher. He just executes so well,” Goldschmidt said. “When he makes a mistake, you have to capitalize on it. You have to put that ball in play, not foul it off or not take it, because he just doesn’t make that many. I just haven’t done that enough. He’s definitely had my number.”

Boone added that if the series advances to a Game 3, rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler would start for New York.

Memory lane

Fried wasn’t the only present-day Yankee throwing it back to the Y2K era during Monday’s workout day. Asked for his earliest memory of The Rivalry, reliever Fernando Cruz pointed to the 2004 home plate dust-up between Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek.

“I always go back to that; I think that’s when it really started for me,” Cruz said. “I look back to those moments, and now being part of it -- it’s just an amazing feeling to be part of this and to be able to help my dream team win games in key situations, it’s what’s most important for me.”

Having pitched to a 3.56 ERA over 49 appearances this season, Cruz is an important part of a bullpen that has stabilized in recent weeks, headed by sharp work from closer David Bednar and setup man Devin Williams.

“I said it before, I think we have the best core of relief pitching,” Cruz said. “We got through a tough time. I think it was actually really good for us that it happened, because the adversity became a blessing. You could see at the end of the season, the results were there for the team.”